Julia and I are still those same kids that met freshman fall at Holy Cross. Our love started as the defining aspect of our time on the Hill, but now its the defining aspect of wherever we might be.

Julia’s first leap of faith was going camping with me at the Falls of Lana in Vermont, where we grilled and laughed until sunset. Julia later shook me awake at the sound—and sight—of a bear bobbing through the woods, holding what could only be described as a flashlight.

We spent fall 2019 apart, as I did a semester in Washington, DC. The taste of living in two different worlds was never to be, and our reunion back on campus was equally ill-fated, as COVID had other plans. We persevered and came out on the other side adults, ready to truly share a life together.

Perhaps her last leap of faith was watching me go to DC again for a year of law school, then joining me for the remaining 2.5 years. Our time in DC together was nothing short of a dream, that rare period in life where you have change in your pocket, time on your side, and a head on your shoulders. Sharing that together was a perfect moment in time.

I thought it fitting to propose on the roof of our DC apartment, surrounded by friends and family, with the Capitol just a few blocks away. Our engagement was a celebration of that accomplishment and an homage to that time in our lives.

Now, we hope you’ll join us to commence the next (long) (but not final) chapter together, reminisce in many common experiences we have with you all, and keep watch with us for bears with flashlights.

Julia’s endnote: While Evan and I met just a few weeks into our time at Holy Cross (when he asked “who’s the goalie?” to a dorm room full of women's ice hockey freshman while a future American-Idol contestant serenaded us with "Hallelujah" on guitar), it wasn't until the spring semester, after many post-hockey-game Instagram DMs, that I finally made the move. Once I did, we made up for lost time. Evan asked me to be his girlfriend after our first date, and we said I love you only 5 days later. The rest is history, including that bear with a flashlight.